Opposition members of the INDIA bloc on Monday staged a noisy protest in the Parliament House complex against what they described as the Election Commission’s attempt to alter the electoral rolls in Bihar through the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list.
Led by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the MPs held up a large banner reading “Stop vote chori” and raised slogans such as “vote chor, gaddi chhor” and “vote chori band karo” as they gathered at the Makar Dwar of Parliament. Members of the Congress, TMC, DMK, Left parties, RJD and Samajwadi Party participated in the demonstration.
Some Samajwadi Party MPs displayed copies of an affidavit submitted by their leader Akhilesh Yadav to the Election Commission, alleging that the names of voters from backward communities had been deliberately deleted.
“The ECI cannot relinquish its Constitutional duty and evade genuine queries of political parties. The ‘Right to Vote’ is the most important right, given to us by the Constitution of India. INDIA will protest any attempt to stifle Democracy,” Kharge said on X, sharing a clip of the protest.
Also read: INDIA bloc stages protest in Parliament over Bihar SIR
Kharge later attempted to raise the matter in the Rajya Sabha, but the Chair disallowed him. “The right to vote has been given to us by the Constitution, and no one has the right to take it away. The ECI is threatening and intimidating us, but we are not ones to be scared by their threats. We will keep fighting for democracy,” he said in a subsequent post.
Yadav, meanwhile, claimed that voter names belonging to communities such as Maurya, Pal, Bhagel and Rathore were being removed from the rolls to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party. “The truth is their votes are being deleted… this is done deliberately to cut the votes of backward classes, while projecting that these votes are going elsewhere,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
He added that the Samajwadi Party had identified several constituencies where narrow defeats were allegedly linked to voter deletions, and demanded strict action against officials responsible.
Congress leader Naseer Hussain, responding to speculation that the opposition is considering an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, said the bloc would use “every democratic method” to ensure that the CEC must be “unbiased”.
The INDIA bloc has disrupted both Houses of Parliament since the Monsoon session began on 21 July, demanding a discussion on the SIR, which it alleges is aimed at disenfranchising voters in Bihar ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections. Apart from brief discussions on Operation Sindoor, little legislative business has been transacted.
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